A stunned driver found three women hiding in the boot of her car, trying to enter the United States. The woman heard unusual noises coming from the rear of her vehicle as she queued at a border crossing in Mexico on Friday (10 Oct).
After pulling over, she opened the boot and found the trio squeezed together. She called for help from officers. The women identified themselves as Chinese nationals: Li Xue, 50, Li Lan, 38, and Xia Xianxiu, also 50.
Paramedics confirmed they were in good health and police established they had no connection to the driver, who had left her home in the Mexican border city of Tijuana along with two others, according to news outlet NeedToKnow.
None of the vehicle’s occupants realised anyone was in the boot until they reached the Otay Mesa Port of Entry about 20 minutes later.
Officers passed the case to prosecutors, who have opened an investigation. The three women have been handed over to immigration authorities.
Authorities have urged drivers to thoroughly check their vehicles, especially the boot, before heading to border crossings.
Local media have reported that unsuspecting drivers are often exploited as “blind mules” by organised crime groups to smuggle drugs, weapons and even people into the United States.
US President Donald Trump has taken a hardline approach to immigration since entering the White House in January.
Mr Trump’s immigration raids in California and other US states have sown panic among immigrant communities, prompting legal action and protests.
Federal data obtained by CBS News showed that in the 2025 tax year, which included four months of former US President Joe Biden’s administration, illegal crossings at the US-Mexico border hit the lowest level in more than 50 years.
Department of Homeland Security figures show the US Border Patrol stopped 238,000 migrants attempting to illegally cross the border.
The figure, reported by the BBC, represents the lowest number since 1970 when border patrol officers stopped 202,000 people crossing the border illegally.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the BBC the border figures showed Mr Trump was delivering on his pledge to make the country’s borders secure.